“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,

“’I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord.
‘And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,’
Says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NASB1995)

Who all are the “unbelievers”? They are not all who make no professions of faith in Jesus Christ, for many people make false professions of faith in the Lord Jesus but their hearts are not surrendered to the Lord. According to the Scriptures, the unbelievers are those who have not died with Christ to sin, by God-persuaded faith in him. And they are all who do not obey our Lord and his commands, in practice. So, habitual disobedience is unbelief, and belief is self-denial, dying to sin, and obedience to our Lord God, in practice.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

So, as followers of Jesus Christ we are not to be partners (in an alliance and cooperation and participation and agreement with) the ungodly, which includes many who give lip service to God but whose hearts are far from God for they are still living to please the flesh and they are not living to please God. And the church at large has made such a forbidden alliance with the world and with the government in the USA via the 501c3 incorporation status. And they have largely turned the gatherings of “the church” into businesses to be marketed to the world, all of which God fully forbids.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

And so pastors have largely been turned into entertainers and salesmen and marketeers who have altered the gospel message to make it more attractive and appealing to human flesh and to the ungodly. And the ungodly are all who have not denied self and have not died to sin and who do not obey God as a matter of life practice, but who still live to please the flesh and to continue in their sinful practices (and addictions). And “church” gatherings have largely been turned into stage productions intended to attract the world to their gatherings and to grow their numbers. And Jesus is pushed out.

We are not to be in fellowship and partnership with such as this. For “the church” is the body of believers in Christ Jesus who obey him, in practice, and for whom sin is not their practice. But it is possible for those of genuine faith in the Lord to fall back into sin, at some point, and to need to be brought back to repentance and to walks of obedience to our Lord. But they should not be those for whom obedience to God has never been their practice and who have never denied self and died to sin, in the power of God. For faith requires death to sin and walks of obedience to God.

[Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

But now all who have united themselves with the ungodly and with the government and have turned the church into a place of business to be marketed to the people of the world, or are participants in this wickedness, must come out from among such partnerships as this and to be separate. We are not to participate in what is contrary to the will of God and that which performs the opposite of what God intends for the gatherings of his people. And we are not to participate in what is a diluted gospel which appeals to human flesh and does not put sin to death in the sinner.

But we are to operate as the biblical body of Christ in being and in doing what God has for us to do as his people, and as his followers.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

Only in Him

Based off Isaiah 30
An Original Work / February 19, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Woe to those who look to man’s help;
Who turn away from Jesus Christ;
Forming an alliance not in step with God;
Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,
They close their ears to what is right.
Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;
Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.
Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.
Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.
Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.
He cares all about you, ‘tis true.
He forgives you all of your sin
When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be
When you bow to Him on your knees;
Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.
He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.
He delivered you from your sin.
You’ll tell others now of His grace,
So they may see Christ face-to-face.

Come Out From Their Midst
An Original Work / March 29, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love